Music

George Harrison Statue Halted At His Widow’s Request

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Who wouldn’t love a good Beatles statue? James Lambert, from Oxfordshire, England, found out otherwise.

The Henley-on-Thames resident — a small town in southeast England where George Harrison lived during his final years — was running a campaign to pay tribute to the late Beatle by erecting a statue to honor his contribution to the town. While most would consider the statue a significant honor, the frenzy surrounding The Beatles could cause issue for the small town, with undesirable fans showing up to pay tribute.

At the request of Olivia Harrison, George’s widow, Lambert is now considering a community project instead of the statue.

“It is slightly disappointing but you have to respect Olivia’s wishes, as she still has a house in Henley, Friar Park,” Mr. Lambert told BBC News. “And I think the danger was it wouldn’t just become a Henley acknowledgement of George’s work but would encourage more people to visit Henley.”

He continued, “I think what she’s suggesting in terms of a community project would be great and it’ll be very exciting to see exactly how this transpires.”

George Harrison died of cancer at age 58 in November 2001. Miraculously, he survived seven stabs wounds by a home intruder in 1999.